Earlier this year the American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP) launched a campaign called Registration Counts. The goal is to educate photographers about copyright and how registration is really the key to protecting those rights.
If I were a commercial photographer, registering the copyright as part of a shoot would really be an obvious thing. Since I currently do not have a steady cash flow from my personal work, I wait to register with the copyright office – yes I am being cheap! Some people register every quarter and this year I plan to register twice.
Some argue that if you are not currently making money with your work, that sharing it is more important than protecting it. Despite my experience, that it has stifled my recent expression, it does not have to. If you plan ahead you get all of the freedom and protection. Register before you publish.
Thank you so much for the information, I have truly enjoyed reading your blog. It has helped me on my hybrid workflow tremendously.
Thank you for the feedback. Your words are very encouraging. It is always interesting to find people that share similar interests.